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Features & Reviews

Outbreak Company, Vol. 4

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By Ichiro Sakaki and Yuugen. Released in Japan by Kodansha. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

This is quite a short volume of Outbreak Company, and as such it doesn’t really do a heck of a lot to advance the forward plot. Its main thrust can be divided into three: 1) Due to the soccer game from last book being filmed and then leaked onto Youtube, Shinichi and company have to figure out how to cover up something that’s already gone viral; 2) Petralka is starting to burn out a bit, and her advisors aren’t really sure how to deal with a teenage empress; and 3) the author has realized that Minori hasn’t really had much of a backstory, and thus has Shinichi actually notice she’s uncomfortable when he calls her feminine and asks her about her past and background. In the afterword, the author says this was supposed to be Minori’s book but Petralka sort of shoved herself in; I think that may have been a good idea, as while Minori’s past is suitably sad, it doesn’t really tie into anything else. It’s there just for development.

Minori doesn’t even get the cover (she was the logical choice), as instead we have Magical Girl Petralka. Shinichi’s idea to stop the Youtube rumors is to put out a few more video clips that make it clear that this is a movie, and that it’s just CGI people saw. This dovetails nicely with Petralka needing a bit of distraction from the heavy weight of power, and so she ends up being the star. Unfortunately, as you’d expect from a girl who’s done nothing but rule the country or be prepared to rule the country, Petralka decides she likes life on the other side a bit TOO much, and needs to be smacked back with some harsh reality. These are probably the best scenes in the book, and show off the main reason why Outbreak Company is still a good read – Shinichi is very good at reading people, and figuring out what they need.

As for Minori, despite telling Shinichi about her past, and saying that she understands why the other girls have all fallen for him, there’s no indication that she has done the same, which is fine with me. She gre up as the Heir to the Dojo, but as iwth a lot of Heirs to the Dojo who are female, her dad wanted a boy and she can’t help but always be inadequate. Puberty also didn’t help, which is probably why Shinichi’s obsession wi8th her large breasts is not all that welcome (though I would not expect it to end either – this is still a Japanese light novel). That said, she gets to save the day when a large dragon attacks the film site (which is the one part of the book hinting at future plotlines, as the dragon seems to have been mind controlled by another nation), and hopefully she’ll feel more comfortable with herself as the series goes on.

This wasn’t the best volume of Outbreak Company, and it felt more like filling time than anything else. But there were still lots of good scenes and funny character bits, and it’s enough to tide us over till the next book, which I hope is more plot-heavy.

Little Witch Academia, Vol. 1

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By Trigger, Yoh Yoshinari and Keisuke Sato. Released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Shonen Ace. Released in North America by JY. Translated by Taylor Engel.

Despite this being another franchise where I’ve never actually seen the anime, I knew quite a bit about it to begin with. It was a Kickstarter series that blew up into a full-fledged TV anime, it’s been described as “Harry Potter if they were all girls”, and Akko/Diana is the preferred ship, I am told. Other than that, I was ready to be charmed by this manga, which is coming out here under Yen’s “JY” line, so is definitely being marketed to younger readers. Which I can see, as kids will love this. It’s a good title for adults as well, though, and Akko makes a fun heroine – fallible and sloppy, but also filled with a love of life that puts a smile on your face. It also helps that she’s surrounded by a few snarkers to help take the sugary edge off.

The manga does assume to a certain degree that you’re already familiar with its source, but for the neophyte, there is an introductory chapter. Akko is a wannabe witch who’s bad at flying, trying to make her way to the Witchcraft Academy, rather unusual for a Japanese student. Through a series of misadventures, she meets two other students – the glasses-wearing, earnest Lotte and the sarcastic, droopy-eyed Sucy – and she ends up at the Academy, ready to follow in the footsteps of her idol Chariot. The rest of the book shows various Academy events, as we see that Akko is not the best student in the world, but makes up for it with lots of energy, drive and GUTS! In other words, despite being all girls, this is a perfect series to run in Shonen Ace, and it wouldn’t be too out of place in Jump either.

For fans of Diana, she’s not as prevalent in this first manga as I was expecting, but there’s enough of her here to see why fans really like to pair off the two of them – they’re very Usagi and Rei. I can also see the Harry Potter comparison, mostly as the three main characters map somewhat to Harry, Hermione and Ron, though Harry was never quite this hyperactive, and Quidditch is replaced by volleyball – where they aren’t supposed to use magic, but do anyway. If there’s a fault with the manga, it’s that it does feel something like a side story to the main anime – there’s no sense that this is going in its own direction, but filling in some gaps that the main story, which was animated, left out. That said, there are hints that we’re going to be getting a bit deeper, such as the cliffhanger ending to this volume.

If you like the anime, or have kids who did, I can’t see why you wouldn’t pick this up. As for me, it makes me want to try the anime to see what I’m missing.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol 1

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Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 1 by Kagiji Kumanomata

This manga was an unexpected delight. I was initially curious about Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle due to it being a Shonen Sunday title, which is a bit of a rarity. I feel like fantasy comedy series can be a bit hit or miss, but I found this title quite entertaining, mostly due to the way it subverts the whole idea of kidnapped princesses.

Syalis is the kidnapped princes in question and while the people in her kingdom pine for her and a idiotic knight vows to rescue her at the start of each chapter, she is solely concerned with getting some good rest. The demon castle lacks high quality pillows and bedding, and she is determined to secure what she needs by any means necessary. Syalis casually embarks on a reign of terror in the castle as she locates unique demons to use for her own purposes. She harvests fur from her guards, who look like fluffy teddy bears. She locates giant scissors and cuts off the body of ghosts in order to get some high quality fabric. Throughout most of the manga, her facial expressions are totally stoic, in contrast to the demons who are being driven frantic by her casual escape attempts. She also seems to have a knack for finding rare magical objects and repurposing them as sleep aids. There’s really only one joke in this manga, but it is executed very well. The unique character designs of the demons and the expanding cast of characters keeps the manga entertaining, even though the plot points in each chapter are so similar. I’m not sure how long the central joke can be sustained, as this series lasts for several volumes, but the first volume was so entertaining I’m definitely going to give it a try.

Manga the Week of 6/27/18

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SEAN: 65 titles. Sixty. Five. Titles. Next. Week.

MICHELLE: Holy crap.

ANNA: Yikes.

ASH: That’s amazing.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 5th To-Love-Ru Darkness and a 2nd volume of Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, thus continuing to be the “Shonen Jump Titles Too Hot For Viz” publisher.

J-Novel Club has the 6th volume of If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord.

Kodansha’s got a lot. Print-wise we see some series we haven’t seen for a looooooong time. Air Gear (last seen one year ago) finally comes to an end with its 37th volume. L♥DK (last seen 10 months ago) has its 11th volume. And Missions of Love (last seen 13 months ago) has a 15th volume. This doesn’t seem to be “caught up with Japan”, so who knows why it’s been so long.

ASH: Oh, Missions of Love! I guess it has been a while, but I do find the series addictive.

SEAN: Other print volumes include a 4th Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, a 10th Fire Force, and theoretically the print debut of Tokyo Tarareba Girls, though this isn’t on Kodansha’s own site, so don’t be surprised if there’s a last minute date change.

ASH: I’m very excited for the print debut of Tokyo Tarareba Girls, so I hope there won’t be much of a delay if there is one. I’m still reading Clear Card, too, even though I think the original Cardcaptor Sakura is the stronger series at this point.

SEAN: On the digital front, there’s another debut with the wonderfully titled The Quintessential Quintuplets (Go-Toubun no Hanayome). It’s a Weekly Shonen Magazine series about a kid who has to tutor… well, you can probably guess. Expect comedy.

And there is Ace of the Diamond 12, Beauty Bunny 6, Liar x Liar 3, My Brother the Shut-In 6 (this is a final, I think), The Prince’s Black Poison 6, and Tsuredure Children 10.

MICHELLE: Someday I’ll read My Brother the Shut-In, but predictably, it’s Ace of the Diamond that I’m most excited about.

SEAN: Seven Seas rarely buries us in piles of titles in the same week. Next week is an exception. We’ve got the final Captive Hearts of Oz (Vol. 4), a 13th volume of A Certain Scientific Railgun, the 2nd novel of Clockwork Planet in print (digital from J-Novel Club), a 3rd Devilman Grimoire, Freezing 21-22, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 9, Mononoke Sharing 2, My Monster Secret 11, Not Lives 9, and NTR – Netsuzou Trap 5.

ASH: It’ll be interesting to compare Devilman Grimoire to the classic Devilman manga now that that’s starting to be released in English, too.

SEAN: Not only that, but also several debuts! The big one is Claudine, the classic Riyoko Ikeda 70s shoujo manga. Complete in one short volume, it’s a fantastic read.

MICHELLE: I believe I detect a pick of the week contender!

MJ: Ooooooooh, yes, this.

ANNA: YAY!!!!

ASH: It’s one of my most anticipated releases of the year!

SEAN: Getter Robo Devolution is another take on the classic Getter Robo series. It runs in Bessatsu Shonen Champion, and is by the team responsible for the Ultraman manga.

If you like the How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord novel but wished you could see more of the fanservice, good news for you! Here’s the first volume of the manga adaptation.

If you love Monster Musume so much it drives you to create, then even better news – Monster Girl Papercrafts is coming out next week, presumably featuring designs from the ever-popular series.

ASH: Huh. I didn’t know this existed!

SEAN: And if you’re an old-school fan, enjoy a license that frankly no one was expecting. True Tenchi Muyo! is a series of three light novels that expand on the extended universe of the Tenchi OAVs that were so popular with your parents’ generation. (I know, shut up, Sean.) This first book focuses on Ayeka and Sasami’s parents.

On to Vertical. Speaking of novels, they have Hanamonogatari: Flower Tale. This is the 2nd book in the series not to be narrated by Koyomi Araragi. This story is narrated by Suruga Kanbaru, and has her dealing with a devil.

We have a 3rd omnibus of The Flowers of Evil as well.

Viz has a 4th digital release of The Emperor and I.

And the rest is Yen, but don’t even think that we’re done. Digitally we have a 6th Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, a 17th Corpse Princess, and a 7th IM: Great Priest Imhotep.

Yen On has two debuts this month, both spinoffs. If you like Sword Art Online but wish it didn’t star Kirito and were written by someone else, I have great news. Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is a new spinoff series by the creator of Kino’s Journey, and focuses on original characters playing the game introduced in the 5th and 6th SAO books.

MJ: I wasn’t really interested until you said Kino’s Journey, and now I’m like… MUST HAVE.

ASH: That does add some promise!

SEAN: The other is Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon Familia Chronicle: Episode Lyu. This focuses on the elf with the tragic past we’ve seen in several books of the main series.

Speaking of DanMachi, we also have a 6th volume of the Sword Oratoria spinoff novel that looks at Loki’s group.

And there’s also a 14th Accel World, an 8th Irregular at Magic High School, a 4th volume of The Isolator, and a 7th Re: Zero, which should be a whale of a time. (I’m sorry.)

Yen Press also has several debuts this month. Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy (Imomushi Shoujo to Komyushou Danshi) is complete in one volume, and stars a boy who has trouble communicating and the girl he rejected, who is now a caterpillar. I must admit, I want to know more.

MICHELLE: That is quite the concept.

ANNA: Hmmmm.

ASH: My curiosity is piqued.

SEAN: Hatsu*Haru is a long-running shoujo title from Shogakukan’s BetsuComi, about a popular boy who finds himself falling for someone for the first time. Anna should be very interested, I expect.

MICHELLE: My ears always perk up when Yen Press releases some shoujo.

MJ: I’m interested too, I think.

ANNA: A shoujo manga about popular boy falling for someone for the first time????????!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEAN: Little Witch Academia is best known for its popular anime. Yen has licensed the manga, which runs in Shonen Ace. This is being marketed as part of the children’s line, but should also definitely appeal to manga fans.

Shibuya Goldfish is a pure horror title from Square Enix’s Gangan Joker. If you think the world being eaten by goldfish is a silly premise, this book will soon set you straight. It looks creepy as hell.

MJ: Wow.

ASH: That’s right up there with some of Junji Ito’s concepts; I guess we’ll see if it’s executed as well!

SEAN: The Strange Creature at Kuroyuri Apartments (Kuroyuri-sou no Henna Wikimono) is also supernatural, but this falls more into the pure comedy end. A demon needs life experience. A young landlord needs to not be bored. Can they get along?

Stupid Love Comedy (Rabukome no Baka) is an omnibus collecting all three volumes of this shoujo series from Kodansha’s Aria. It’s a reverse harem series, this time starring a manga writer.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I sure do enjoy reverse harem.

SEAN: Think we’re done? There’s also ongoing Yen titles! On the ‘spinoff of light novel’ front, we see only two contenders next week: Goblin Slayer’s 3rd manga volume and Kagerou Daze’s 10th.

But there is also Aoharu x Machinegun 11, As Miss Beelzebub Likes 2, Big Order 5, BTOOOM! 21, Bungo Stray Dogs 7, The Elder Sister-Like One 2, Horimiya 11, Mermaid Boys 2, Monster Tamer Girls 2 (final volume there), One Week Friends 3, Prison School 10, Silver Spoon 3, Smokin’ Parade 4, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School 3, Though You May Burn to Ash 2, and Today’s Cerberus 9.

MICHELLE: Yay for Horimiya and Silver Spoon!

MJ: Silver Spoon! Silver Spoon!

ANNA: Wooo!!!!

ASH: I’m following quite a few of these series, but Silver Spoon is the one that I’m most looking forward to reading this time around!

SEAN: Assuming you haven’t aged to death after reading all that, are there any titles you’re getting? One? Two? Twenty-five?

ASH: I’m afraid to count.

Napping Princess: The Story of the Unknown Me

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By Genji Kamiyama. Released in Japan as “Hirunehime ~ Shiranai Watashi no Monogatari ~” by Kadokawa Shoten. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Yota Okutani.

We’ve been getting a lot of these sorts of books lately, the novelization of a popular animated film. Well, for some definition of popular – your name sort of hovers above everything else. But we’ve also gotten The Boy and the Beast, and we’re getting Fireworks: Long Title Here in the summer. And now we have Napping Princess, a book that adapts the film of the same name that came out in 2017. It’s a quick, breezy read with a likeable lead heroine and a few very interesting plot twists about two-thirds of the way through. It does, however, suffer from a problem that I really didn’t notice with the other books of this type. This sort of book is meant to enhance or add to the experience for those who saw the movie, and also make those who haven’t seen the movie want to see it. The problem is that after finishing Napping Princess, I’m left with the opinion that the movie is probably better. Which is an issue given I’ve never seen the movie.

The book starts out as a fairy tale, set in a magical kingdom that builds cars. There’s a wishy-washy king, an evil Grand Vizier, and a princess locked in a tower who can do magic. In fact, that’s why she’s locked in the tower. On the other side of things, we’re also in slightly futuristic Japan, where our heroine is Kokone, who lives with her mechanic dad in the middle of nowhere and gets by on imagination and pluck. She also likes to sleep, and dreams that she’s the princess from the fantasy kingdom. These two worlds start interacting together when her father is arrested, supposedly for data theft from Japan’s largest car manufacturer, which her dad worked for years ago. Is this all a setup? What does it have to do with her late mother? And why is it that Kokone has this magical ability to mesh the fantasy world and the real world when she dreams?

To be fair, we never get a good answer to that last question. “Magical realism” is what we’re supposed to think, I suspect. As I said, the plot is fairly straightforward, being a chase sequence for an extended stretch. Our villain ends up being so lame that the author has to put in a narrative jibe noting how much of a cliched villain he’s become – I was expecting to see some sort of story about how he and Kokone’s dad used to be friends back in the day, but no, he doesn’t even get that. The most interesting part of the book was the way the fantasy world overlaid on the real one, as both Kokone and the reader realize about the same time that the casting is somewhat different than expected. (The reader may pick this up a bit earlier, frankly, as the romantic tendencies between the princess and Peach (yes, it’s lampshaded) make little sense if Kokone is the princess.) As with most dead moms in anime, I wish we’d seen more of Kokone’s mother.

As a novelization, this book works very well. Every time it had a major set piece, I kept thinking “I’d like to see this animated”. As a novel, though, I’m not sure it works as well. Still, it’s not actually bad – just slight. It would make a good summer beach read.

Short Takes: The Promised Neverland and Silver Spoon

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Just a word to the wise: it’s impossible to discuss either Neverland or Spoon without divulging a few plot details, so be mindful if you’re the kind of person who hates–HATES–spoilers. Caveat lector!

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 4
Written by Kaiu Shirai, Illustrated by Posuka Demizu
Translated by Satsuki Yamashita
VIZ Media
Rated T+, for older teens

One of the pleasures of reading The Promised Neverland is its crack pacing: Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu have a knack for the perfectly timed reveal and the pulse-pounding action sequence. Volume three was a rare misstep for the series, saddled with too many contrived plot twists, but volume four is a return to form, briskly setting the kids’ escape in motion. The story occasionally flags when Emma, Ray, and Norman explain the finer details of their plan to one another, but these moments serve an essential dramatic purpose, helping us appreciate how perilous their journey will be. These conversations also remind us how much the principal trio rely on one another for emotional support, a point driven home by the authors’ decision to sacrifice one of the main characters. (And I mean a main character, not a red shirt.)

Perhaps the most surprising thing about The Promised Neverland is its feminist subtext. In the final pages of volume three, Krone reveals that the brightest orphan girls are groomed for house mother positions. The full horror of this arrangement, however, only becomes apparent in volume four. In a few suggestive images, Demizu vividly conveys the grotesque sacrifices that Gracefield Manor’s female residents make in order to survive their twelfth birthday. A brief interlude set in a factory evokes the grim spirit of The Handmaid’s Tale, imagining a world in which young women are cruelly exploited for their fertility, then coerced into perpetuating the very system that oppresses them.

I know — I’m making The Promised Neverland sound like Terribly Serious Reading, but rest assured it isn’t. The story is, at bottom, a juicy prison drama in which the jailers are actual monsters and the prisoners pint-sized MacGuyvers. Though the subtext enriches the narrative, inviting multiple readings, the story never feels like an obvious parable about factory farming or reproductive rights. Recommended.

Silver Spoon, Vol. 2
Written and Illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa
Translated by Amanda Haley
Yen Press
Rated T, for teens

After an introductory volume in which Hachiken (a) fell face-first into poop (b) insulted his classmates repeatedly (c) joined the equestrian club just to impress a girl and (d) realized that the piglet he was raising would soon be bacon, volume two affords him a rare moment of grace. The students’ discovery of an abandoned brick oven prompts them to make pizza — something only Hachiken knows how to do. The act of cooking for so many people forces Hachiken to improvise, rather than plan, forcing him outside his academic and social comfort zone — and making his brief turn in the spotlight even more satisfying.

Lest Hachiken’s triumph seem a little too tidy, the rest of volume two sees him reverting to bumbling city slicker, as he gets lost in the woods looking for cell phone reception, gags at the sight of a newborn calf, and, yes, falls face-first into another pile of manure. Hiromu Arakawa sells these moments with her trademark over-the-top reaction shots; no one can distort or bend a human face with the same verve as Arakawa, who turns every setback, humiliation, and surprise into an opportunity to draw rivers of snot and tears. Though she excels at slapstick, Arakawa tempers the jokes with moments of real drama that make Hachiken realize just how much Komaba and Mikage’s families struggle to keep their modest dairy farms afloat. It’s these quieter moments that remind us just what a capable storyteller Arakawa really is, and make Silver Spoon more than just a gag manga with farm animals. Recommended.

A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vol. 13

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By Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa. Released in Japan as “Toaru Kagaku no Railgun” by ASCII Media Works, serialization ongoing in the magazine Dengeki Daioh. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Nan Rymer, Adapted by Maggie Danger.

I’ve talked before about how the Railgun manga is far more tied into its parent than most other spinoffs I’ve seen. For one thing, it actually feels like it’s written by Kamachi. Most spinoffs tend to have the original writer simply give approval to stories that the artist has come up with themselves (the Nagato Yuki spinoff is a good example), but events in this book and the previous one are interconnected with Index’s 15th novel. Not only that, they enhance the novel itself – the last book saw Frenda get the character development she never got in Index for obvious reasons, and allowed someone to actually grieve for her. And the use of Scavenger, the spinoff Dark Side group that’s appeared in both Railgun and the Accelerator spinoff, allows us to expand on the purpose of these dark Side groups: they’re broken kids who’ve been screwed over by authority, but not necessarily evil.

Touma wasn’t in Index 15, and readers of Railgun who always dread his spotlight-stealing appearances will be grateful to know he’s not in this volume either. This puts the focus on Mikoto, who is in heroic good guy mode here, even though she’s missing the rest of her core team. (I assume that Kuroko and Saten are helping Uiharu recover from her broken collarbone.) Misaki steps in admirably, though, and the two are almost getting along, though that thought may make Mikoto ill. (It’s notable that the only time Mikoto really gets (offscreen) pissed off is when Seike mistakes her for a guy. Femininity is always a touch point for her.) One of the best things in this volume is seeing Leader, the cold-mask-wearing Scavenger girl, constantly trying to outthink Mikoto as she assumes that she’ll die going against a SECOND Level Five, only to finally be won over by Mikoto’s innate niceness.

As for the main plotline involving Kuriba, it continues to get into the nature of existence in the Indexverse, and how that’s a fluid, individual and personal thing. Her doppelganger is rampaging as she knows that she does not, in fact, have a soul. This doesn’t seem to bother Mikoto, but once it’s clarified that living with that knowledge is agony and torture, she’s willing to help end her pain. And, as with almost every Railgun plotline since the beginning that hasn’t involved Touma, this all turns out to be the result of scientific experimentation gone amoral. I’m not sure how I feel about Misaki solving the problem by memory erasure, but then she’s always been a morally ambiguous girl herself – she’s never going to be the innocent sweetie pie Mikoto has at her core.

So we wrap up the Indian Poker arc here, and I assume the next volume will start a new one. 14 isn’t out in Japan yet, so expect another long wait. In the meantime, for Index fans who always liked Railgun better, this is a perfect volume for you – Mikoto really shines!

The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!, Vol. 3

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By Gamei Hitsuji and himesuz. Released in Japan by Overlap. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

I didn’t mention it in my review of the previous volume, but a large chunk of that book was taken up with the journey of the actual hero, Reiji, and his adventures trying to destroy the demons. Given that the basic premise of this book is that we leave the hero by the wayside and follow his secretly more powerful best friend, it’s impressive that the author it not only coming back to the hero occasionally but also treating him seriously. Reiji wants to help this world, despite the fact that he’s not from it and that everyone not in his party seems to be a cynical bastard of some sort. Admittedly, the more I see of Mizuki, his wannabe girlfriend and the third member of the “from another world” party, the more I think that she’s going to be turned to evil pretty easily, but hey. That said, the bulk of this book still follows Suimei as he arrives at a new city, buys a house, and meets yet another young girl.

If you look at the girl on the cover, you might be thinking that the author is starting to come up with heroines by ticking a fetish box. And, based on the afterword, you might not be too wrong. Liliana is a young girl with many dark secrets who works for the city’s military police and is a bit shunned by the general populace, who are terrified of a) her magic and b) her general demeanor. Neither of those bother Suimei, and he also sees her playing with cute kittens, so he knows she’s good at heart. But it may take more than one book to help her, as the city has more problems than just a goth-loli with a bad rep. Nobles around the city are being attacked and falling into a coma – though oddly, all the nobles attacked seem to be stereotypical “evil noble” types. And worse, there’s a different summoned hero in this town, and the oracle has told Lefille to join him… and he also wants to add Felmenia, the heroine from the first book who has caught up with Suimei. Is he a hero? Or just amassing a harem?

There are a few more things in this volume that I wasn’t too fond of compared to previous ones. As I noted, Felmenia has caught up, which means we have three heroines in one book. That means the standard jealousy ensues, though it’s low-key for now. The reason it’s low-key is that Lefille is still in her little girl body, which is mostly mined for comedy, but even the author admits readers are asking for him to fix her soon. And sadly the author’s worldbuilding discussions of magic tend to come out at the worst possible times – in this particular case at the climax of the book, which leaves a reader wanting to skip to the point where they can read something other than magic history. That said, we’re only halfway through what I expect is a two-book arc, so things may turn around. Too Far Behind! is adding a few more generic harem fantasy tropes, but is still good enough that you should enjoy it.

Bookshelf Briefs 6/18/18

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ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department, Vol. 3 | By Natsume Ono | Yen Press – Sometimes you have to pick a side, even when you don’t want to. Jean really doesn’t want to, and it’s getting him in a bit of trouble, whether it’s being kidnapped by a group of terrorists mostly by accident, or trying to do his job while everyone wants him to be a spy and give them intel—including his boss, who gets pissed off at him at the cliffhanger. Jean, of course, reacts to this the way a Natsume Ono hero always reacts—with a world-weary stare, and in this case a lot of cigarettes. As for the actual coup, it’s still percolating, and I suspect we won’t get any actual revolution until Jean’s toured every single province. I also don’t expect he’ll be able to retire. A good title for Ono fans. – Sean Gaffney

After Hours, Vol. 2 | By Yuhta Nishio | VIZ Media – Seldom am I in the position of wishing a story gave me more angsty drama, but that’s how I feel about this second volume of After Hours. It’s reasonably interesting watching Kei and Emi come up with an idea for a big rave event and get their friends on board, but I could have done with less of that and more of Kei learning that Emi is still technically living with a boyfriend. She’s irritated and worried after the discovery, but we just don’t see into her head enough to suit me. At one point she dares to hope that perhaps Emi will choose her, but when that does happen, the moment lacks impact. Even if there had been one pause, one panel that lingered wordlessly on Kei’s face to show us her happiness and relief, I would be content. Oh well. One volume left! – Michelle Smith

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 19 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – After Shiemi rejected Rin in the last volume, is she now being written out of the manga? After learning a dark and tragic secret about herself (which we the reader are not yet privy to), she opts to drop out of the exorcist course, to the horror of all her friends. She insists she’ll still be at the school, but let’s face it, she would barely see them. Clearly it’s time for an awesome Christmas party! As for the rest of the book, we’re finally getting some real answers from Mephisto about the nature of the Baal and what they’re actually trying to achieve. Does this have anything ro do with Rin? I’ll be honest, I’d worry more about Yukio. Still good, though its infrequent release means I tend to forget what happened. – Sean Gaffney

Captive Hearts of Oz, Vol. 4 | By Ryo Maruya and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – Last time I appreciated the lack of romance but felt confused by the plot. This fourth and final volume, the plot finally makes sense and I appreciate it, but I also now have a romance I really didn’t want. It’s made clear that Dorothy and Oz are not the same ones as the books by L. Frank Baum—though Dorothy is named after the Oz girl—I honestly felt the romance was added because the series is meant to be the sort that ends with a pairing. Ah well. The nature of the ending, which implies the return of Dorothy and Oz (like their namesakes) is reminiscent of the Alice in the Country of Hearts books. This is its spiritual successor, and likely the end of an era. It was decent. – Sean Gaffney

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 3 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – Out of all of the manga by CLAMP that I’ve so far read, Cardcaptor Sakura is one of my favorites, so I was excited when I learned that a sequel was going to be released. For the most part though, Clear Card has yet to live up to its predecessor. The third volume of the series seems a bit more substantial than the first two, which is good, but the point of the manga remains unclear even considering the attempts at ominous foreshadowing. I’ll keep reading Clear Card though. Granted, that’s mostly out of loyalty to the original series than anything else. However, I do still love the characters and the artwork is lovely in Clear Card, too. I just hope that the manga continues to pick up a bit more momentum and weight and is able to distinguish itself as something more than just a sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura. – Ash Brown

DNA Doesn’t Tell Us, Vol. 2 | By Mintarou | Seven Seas – This is the second and final volume of the series, and it wraps up fairly quickly, trying to do its best to work in the “wild animals” even though our focus is still on our tame leads. It’s odd to realize that this is actually a school for animal girls in the basic sense—they graduate and move on to real life once they learn how to interact as a human, and the series ends with our girls as dorm leader and student council president. Other than that, the series is unambitious but not uninteresting, with several new animal girls getting attention, including a mole girl and a donkey girl. As for any suggested yuri? Nah, there’s nothing there. This was cute, but two volumes seems just about right. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 6 | By Canno | Yen Press – As this series does best, we spend some time catching up on people we’ve seen in prior volumes, and some time with new people, most of whom intermesh and entwine with each other. Jealousy is the order of the day here, as the effervescent Amane doesn’t really get why she can’t simply love more than one person, and the somewhat possessive Nina is bad at being straightforward about it. Chiharu and Izumi, meanwhile, are dealing with the uncertainty of a second love, especially when the old girlfriend is coming back. The characters in this all manage to have obvious flaws that can be mined for storylines without being annoying. (Though Nina comes close here.) Still good. – Sean Gaffney

Loveless, Vol. 13 | By Yun Kouga | VIZ Media – It’s been several years since the last Loveless volume, so I reread volume twelve before tackling this one, which helped a lot. Alas, it also served to remind me how much I like this series and wish for more. Sigh. We do get some interesting things here, though, like the conclusion of Beloved’s battle against Moonless—during which Seimei’s former friend informs him that his bond with Soubi is neither love nor strength—and Natsuo recounting the stories of Seven Voices Academy as told to him by his creator, including intriguing cameos by Soubi’s mother and Ritsuka’s father. She has information about Seimei, too, but we don’t get to see that yet. Nor do we get to see Ritsuka act on his determination to get Soubi back. I hope volume fourteen comes reasonably soon! – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 13 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Sometimes, with a cast this big, some people are going to have to take a back seat for a bit. For My Hero Academia, it’s going to be Todoroki and Bakugo, the only ones in the class not to pass the exam—both due to anger issues rather than because of lack of ability. Well, technically another girl may have failed the exam as well—turns out that one of the other class members was our favorite blood-sucking, blushing villain in disguise, and she got some very interesting blood. Of course, before Bakugo can take a back seat, he has to confront Deku with something we’ve suspected he’s known for a while now—Deku’s quirk and how it relates to All Might. Time for MANLY FISTS to take the lead! Amazing series. – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 4 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – A lot of Queen’s Quality has to do with Fumi trying to survive with her basic personality intact, be it because of her past (involving amnesia) or her future (involving possibly being possessed by one or more queens). So honestly, the last thing she really needs is an attempt to drive her towards the dark side by putting her in Ataru’s mind, which is as bug-filled as you’d expect. She luckily has Kyutaro to help her, but honestly his love for her is as much of a hindrance as a help half the time. Still, the author is very good at making you want to see what happens next, and I don’t even mind that this isn’t a wacky comedy anymore. Also, love those Dengeki Daisy references! – Sean Gaffney

The Young Master’s Revenge, Vol. 2 | By Meca Tanaka| Viz Media – Again, this is a Meca Tanaka series, almost by definition “good but not great.” There’s a likeable heroine filled with denseness and pluck, as well as a frustrated hero who can’t decide if he’s trying to get revenge or seduce her. The best thing about this book was Tenma trying to figure out, in conversations with others, what love means to her and what kinds of love there are. It turns out Leo may need the same lesson, as the fact that he’s head over heels for Tenma has to be pointed out by his biggest rival. Will things change now that one of the pair is actually aware of this? We shall see. In the meantime, this remains a cute but slight shoujo series. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 1

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By Kagiji Kumanomata. Originally released in Japan as “Maou-jou de Oyasumi” by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Tetsuichiro Miyaki. Adapted by Annette Roman

Yes, it’s another entry in what’s turning out to be a long series of “it only has one gag, but it’s a great gag” manga. Actually, the last one I wrote up that had a similar feel was Satan’s Secretary, and the two series are not dissimilar: human is kidnapped and taken to demon lord’s castle, where they proceed to have the run of the place, much to the frustration of some of the demons. But where the secretary in the other title took over by simply competence and hard work, Princess Syalis just wants to sleep. And she’ll do anything to ensure that she can get a good night’s rest. That “anything” is what drives this comedic title, which despite its fantasy-sounding name is actually in shonen Sunday, one of the three big weekly magazines for boys. That said, this would not be too out of place in one of the Big Comic titles, or even Betsucomi. Its comedy is sui generis.

So yes, Princess Syalis, who appears to be somewhere between six and eighteen, as with a lot of manga characters, has been kidnapped by the demon lord. The people of the Kingdom are horrified, and the hero and a few other folks make the occasional attempt to rescue her. They fear for what horrible tortures she’s undergoing. In fact, she’s merely locked up in a room with nothing to do but sleep. Sadly, for the demon lord, torture may have been a better option: Syalis really likes her sleep, and gets annoyed when anything makes it less of a perfect experience. And so, in a demon castle surrounded by horrifying monsters, she sets out to get a fluffier pillow, softer bedding, a mosquito net, and other amenities that ensure she gets a good night’s rest. She also, by bribing her guards, has the run of the castle to obtain such things, which is unfortunate as while she’s the heroine she’s not invulnerable.

I think it was around “Oh, princess, you must have fallen in the molten lava again!” that I really began to seriously enjoy this title. Syalis is incredibly selfish and hyperfocused, but is also fairly emotionally “stoic”, so it comes off more as cute social ineptness rather than pure evil. Plus the reactions of the demons around the castle (the lord is mostly absent except for one or two chapters) are what really make the title. The guards are teddy bears, the demon king’s secretary is a dog man with a fluffy chest Syalis can sleep against, and even the Michelin Man shows up, though everyone is very careful to dance around the fact that he’s clearly the Michelin Man. The chapters are only about 8 pages long, so it’s definitely in the ‘gag manga’ category. That said, as with other titles of this ilk, the main worry is how long it can keep up its one gag. It’s seven volumes and counting in Japan, so it’s managing it so far, but I hope Syalis doesn’t wear out her welcome. Well, any more than she already has in story.

If you picked this up based on the title and were expecting a quiet fantasy, you’re out of luck. But if you wanted something funny, then this is the title for you. Enjoy watching Syalis sleep By Any Means Necessary.

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Vol. 2

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By FUNA and Itsuki Akata. Released in Japan as “Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!” by Earth Star Entertainment. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Diana Taylor. Adapted by Maggie Cooper.

Last time I complimented this series on its use of humor and its focus on a heroine who wanted desperately to be normal but lacked all common sense as to what that meant. It’s not really the sort of premise that can sustain a long series, and so I wasn’t surprised that this second volume, while still amusing, did not reach the laugh heights of the first book. Fortunately, even though it’s settling into more of a typical fantasy light novel, it still has strengths, which it leans on. The main heroines are all heroines, with most male characters being relegated to support. There’s also still no sign of a love interest for anyone, though one or two of the guys put out feelers that are shot down immediately. This is because the narrative treats these young teenage girls as young teenage girls, which is nice to see. And Reina, the girl on the cover, gets some tragic depth.

Mile still gets enough face time to be the heroine, of course, but I liked the balance between her and the rest of the party here. Reina is clearly impatient for their group to get powerful as soon as possible, and keeps insisting that they have to be able to kill people if necessary. I really enjoyed the way that the other three disagree with this but still don’t condemn Reina for it, as everyone has their own circumstances – for Reina it’s the death of both her birth family AND adopted family. It’s treated seriously, but because this is at heart a lighthearted series it’s not dwelt upon, and Reina’s obsession doesn’t drive her to the dark side as a more cynical light novel reader might expect. Likewise, the bandits – as well as “bandits” – that are dealt with here are a true threat that would easily have taken out anyone else… but Mile is Mile, so they’re stomped.

As I said in my review of the first volume, though irritated by overpowered heroes should absolutely look elsewhere. Despite Mile desperately trying to hide her amazing amazingness, everyone and their brother can see she’s on – if you’ll pardon the expression – a completely different level. There is actually an amusing came at the start of the book by the three girls that Mile went to Princess School with before the series rebooted itself, and they figure out exactly what she did by simulating how her mind works – which is to say, what situation uses the least amount of common sense? But as I said, Mile’s ludicrousness is more baked into the plot and characters this time, so it’s not as over the top as it was. She’s still a great heroine, though, and as I said, the bond of her party is a highlight.

The drawback with a series like this is that we’ve not really seen any signs of a plot that goes beyond “watch Mile be amazing”, and it would be nice if a recurring villain or something like that showed up. Still, at the moment I’m perfectly content to watch her be “perfectly normal” in the worst way. The third volume looks like it will focus on Mavis and Pauline judging by the cover, and I’d love to see that too. This is a series that puts a smile on my face.

Claudine

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By Riyoko Ikeda. Originally released in Japan as by Shueisha, serialized in the magazine Margaret. Currently licensed by Fairbell. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

I’ll be honest, I was expecting the first Riyoko Ikeda manga to come out in North America to either be Rose of Versailles or nothing whatsoever – leaving aside the age of the works, the rumor was that there were a lot of difficulties licensing Ikeda’s works. But Versailles is still being worked on, and no one’s rushing to pick up Oniisama E (though maybe if this does well…). And so we have Claudine, a short manga (not only is it one volume, but that volume is half the size of the average) about the title character, a beautiful young man in a female-assigned body who has to deal with misgendering, misunderstandings, love, and betrayal. It would be a pretty forward-looking story for our current time, but for 1977 it’s pretty stunning. It ends much as you might expect (all signs point to tragedy from the very beginning), but the storytelling and art are absolutely stunning – your heart will ache even as your finger keep flicking the pages.

One of the things I liked best about the title is how well the relationships are sketched out in the minimal number of pages we have. Claudine’s loving and happy relationship with their father, their strict and worried mother who taken them to see a (surprisingly sympathetic) psychologist, and their ongoing antagonistic headbutting with Rosemarie, who starts off as a girl with a huge crush on Claudine and gradually develops into the only one who can really see Claudine – all the while never quite losing the air of ‘villain’ she has around her. I kept thinking of Nanami Kiryuu, honestly, and I am pretty sure the Utena creators were familiar with this work. As for Claudine, well, they’re a young 70s shoujo hero, which is to say tortured, overdramatic, and of the opinion that every single crisis is the worst thing ever. And of course there are love interests who see them as a girl, or are below the proper station, etcetera.

The art is, as I said before, another highlight. I was very amused at the occasional comedic shots of Claudine boggling at the shenanigans of Maura, the clumsy maid who is Claudine’s first love. But there’s also lovely set pieces of seeing the pained expressions of Claudine, Rosemarie, Sirene… the translation is excellent, but there’s always the sense that this is a story told primarily through the visual medium, rather than in text. The fire in the middle of the book may be my favorite moment. Most of all you feel the passion that Claudine has, which is either rebuffed or removed from them again and again. You get the sense that, unlike the longer Rose of Versailles, this is a story that could only have been told in a very compact way, burning Claudine’s bright light in a mere hundred pages.

To sum up: even if you aren’t interested in old-school shoujo manga, or LGBTQ titles, or Riyoko Ikeda, you should STILL get this, because it’s a great story that I think people will get something out of.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 11

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By Fujino Omori and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan as “Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka?” by Softbank Creative. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Gaippe.

First off, let’s take a moment to make fun of me for my last review. Yes, I thought that the author was going to leave everything up in the air and unresolved and move on. Whoopsie. This book starts off where the last one ended, with Bell hated by most of the city, and then takes off at breakneck speed and doesn’t stop. If you read DanMachi for the epic battle scenes, you’re absolutely in luck, as these make up most of the entire last half of the book. And there’s a lot of “scenes we’d like to see” here as well, as we get Aiz fighting Lyu (Aiz wins), Aiz fighting Bell (Wiene wins), Welf and Mikoto vs. Tiona and Tione (Welf and Mikoto win, but by dirty tricks), Lili vs. Finn (Lili wins), and most importantly, Bell fighting Asterios, the minotaur creature who has haunted his memories and dreams ever since the very, very beginning of the series. Who wins? Well…

The thing the book emphasizes over and over again is that there is no easy out here. The monsters are not just magically going to convince people that some of them aren’t always killers, though Wiene makes a good shot at it. The book does not end with any agreements for them to live on the surface in peace and harmony, it ends with them back in the dungeon hiding from everyone. But, on the bright side, they’re all back in the dungeon rather than getting slowly killed off on the surface. As for the adventurers, I’m not sure whether this will deeply affect them going forward. Things are not helped by Hermes, who is a right bastard who’s trying to force Bell into a role and is absolutely shot down in a way that will make you cheer. I hope Hestia kicks him in the nads next time she sees him. Fortunately, Bell is adept enough to choose his own path and by the end of the book has greater resolve to grow stronger, and this time for more reasons than just “Aiz Wallenstein”.

This is once again a pretty serious book, though there are a few “every girl loves Bell” jokes, leading to the biggest laugh of the book, which is Aiz contemplating Bell’s true nature. (Speaking of Aiz, if Sword Oratoria ever gets to these scenes from her perspective, it’s going to be fantastic.) I mentioned Lili winning in a fight vs. Finn, but of course it’s in a fight of intellect – honestly, I have to agree with Finn, he and Lili would be an amazing match, and I would fear the Prum race if their’ kids turned out anything like they are. But she’s in love with Bell. As is Eina, who at least is able to admit it to herself now. To me, though, this book hinges on two scenes that will, I hope, take it to a new level going forward – Bell’s fight with Aiz, and Bell’s fight with Asterios. The former is all about empathy, but the latter is just straight up action and love of battle.

The book ends with Bell wanting to go back in the dungeon, and so I think we’ll be there most of the next book (yes, I said that before). Till then, you should absolutely read this. I think Books 9-11 have been the highlight of the entire series, and can’t be missed by fans.

Manga the Week of 6/20/18

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SEAN: Glory be! A small week! Is that because the last week of June is hideously huge? (peers ahead) Yup. Oh well, let’s enjoy next week anyway.

MICHELLE: Now I’m gonna have “The Night Chicago Died” in my head. Not that I’m complaining.

ANNA: OK, it is good to have a bit of a break.

SEAN: Not manga, but it’s worth mentioning that Dark Horse has the Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, a 320-page hardcover with oodles and oodles of Zelda. Click your Link and get it!

ASH: Ha! I believe I will, thank you very much!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has releases for Infinite Stratos (2) and Outbreak Company (4).

Kodansha has a few print releases. There’s Love & Lies 6 and That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 6. There’s also Maga-Tsuki 9-10, which is now getting omnibus releases, I guess? Never a good sign when a series shifts from singles to doubles late in the run.

ASH: I’ve been greatly enjoying That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime; much more than I though I would!

SEAN: On the digital side, we have the debut of Karate Heat (Tenohiro no Netsu o), a short Weekly Shonen Magazine title about middle-school karate students. It only ran three volumes, so won’t run up your budget.

MICHELLE: The fact that it’s so short is not exactly a good sign for a sports manga, but you know I can’t resist that genre, so I’ll definitely be checking it out.

ASH: Oooh! Karate! That is tempting.

ANNA: Hmmmm…..

SEAN: There’s also Cosplay Animal 6 (reminding me to finish 5), Drowning Love 9, Fuuka 18, Love’s Reach 9, Perfect World 3, and Pumpkin Scissors 21. (Need to catch up on Perfect World too.)

MICHELLE: Same re: Perfect World. I also intend to read Drowning Love one of these days.

SEAN: Seven Seas just has one next week, Masamune-kun’s Revenge 8.

A new publisher debuts, calling themselves Tokyopop. This is their first title, but they may go far! Depends on the leadership, I suspect. Konohana Kitan is a not-quite-yuri not-quite-furry manga about a group of fox girls working at a hot spring, and it runs… or ran… in Gentosha’s Comic Birz, which is ceasing its print publication. I suspect it will move to digital publication.

MICHELLE: *dubious face that’s way more about the publisher than the fox girls*

ANNA: Um.

SEAN: Meanwhile, Vertical gives us a 6th To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts.

Viz has a 5th volume of Golden Kamuy, a 5th Tokyo Ghoul: re, and also the 4th and final omnibus of Sweet Blue Flowers. I suspect this comes as a relief to the Manga Bookshelf folks who were wondering about Pick of the Week.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: I’m definitely glad for more Golden Kamuy and am still thrilled that Sweet Blue Flowers was translated.

ANNA: I’m with Ash.

SEAN: That does it! It’s OK, next time we’ll be here for hours. But for now, what are you picking up?

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 4

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By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. Released in Japan as “Yakusoku no Neverland” by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Satsuki Yamashita.

(Note: The review of this volume involves talking about this volume. If you’re looking for reviews that won’t spoil you, don’t look here.)

Much as the plot of The Promised Neverland involves a lot of mystery, horror and mind games between opponents, I like to think that a lot of the mind games are between the authors and the reader. As the reader peruses the volume, they’re thinking: are they really going to kill off one of the three main characters? Are they really going to kill off TWO of the main characters? And wait, what’s with that nightmarish ‘beyond the wall’ scenario? Isn’t this just getting too mean? And are they really going to take EVERYONE with them? The fun with TPN is that the reader really wants to find out the answers, and thus keeps turning pages compulsively. I can’t say we get all those questions answered in this particular volume, but I can say that the reasons people grew to love this series are still here, in bunches.

The first question, which came from the cliffhanger, involves whether Norman’s really going to be sent outside to get eaten. After much fuss and tears and Ray coming up with scheme after scheme, the answer for now is yes, Norman is indeed being sent outside to get eaten. Now, I’m highly doubtful that the second part is going to happen – honestly, if it had, I’m pretty sure we’d have seen it – but it does mean that Norman is out of the main cast for now. Still, he gets a glorious sendoff in out-plotting and scheming Ray. As for Ray, the explanation for why he allied with Mom is interesting, but not nearly as interesting as his plot to get everyone else to escape, which again makes the reader briefly wonder if he’s actually going to immolate himself for the sake of the others. Here the answer is more immediately obvious: hell ne, because Emma.

The series has done a good job of selling Emma, Norman and Ray as the three main leads, but I get the sense that Emma is a bit more lead character-ish than the other two, especially when you think about the fact that this runs in Shonen Jump and she’s got the “Jump hero” personality. Of course, that doesn’t mean that she can’t be clever or scheming, as seen throughout this volume. The escape relies on Emma seeming to be completely broken by Norman leaving, but the reveal of everything that’s been happening behind the scenes while this was going on is truly powerful. I especially like the idea that the other younger kids are in on all this too, rather than just innocent bodies to be rescued.

Of course, escape is still a long way away. As Norman showed us, scaling the wall and jumping down isn’t an option. Phil seems to have been left behind, though honestly I’m pretty sure that’s also part of Emma and Ray’s plan. And is Jump ready for a one-eared heroine? We’ll find out the answers in the next book, and I can’t wait.